Tone & Voice

Developing U-M’s voice in your communications

One of the best ways to ensure you’re representing the university’s voice is, ironically, to take U-M out of it. It sounds counterintuitive — but compelling, branded content is often not UM-focused. Rather, it emphasizes outcomes of all the good work going on across campus. The voice should be prescriptive — that is, directly addressing the needs of the audience. Why should they care?

Too UM-Centric

  • Our faculty includes…
  • We are a world leader in…
  • The University of Michigan has…

Prescriptive, Audience-Focused

  • You’ll enjoy all the benefits of…
  • You’re already thinking about what you can do…
  • Students will discover and be inspired…

Language has always been dynamic, and has always changed over time. One of the biggest evolutions in recent years has been around welcoming language, which is driven by the desire to better understand and represent the experiences of people with various differing identities and from different cultural groups.

Best Colleges uses the term “conscious language,” and defines that as “language that is intentional, inclusive, and carefully chosen to reflect the experiences of diverse populations.”

Best practices are constantly evolving, but the goal will always be to create well-written content that acknowledges and celebrates our community.

Gender-Neutral Language — Students and Alumni

As the need for gender-neutral words has increased, many colleges and universities have begun changing the way they refer to current and former students.
“Alumni” and “Alums”
Many universities are now using the abbreviations “alum” and “alums” to designate all alumni regardless of gender. University of Michigan units should follow their own best judgment and use what feels appropriate to the context, but in general, we recommend:
USE ALUM or ALUMS in cases where a gender-neutral word is needed, and also in more informal contexts, e.g., in communications to students or on social media.
USE THE TRADITIONAL LATIN ALUMNUS/A/I/AE in more formal or institutional uses as follows:
Alumnus: one male alum
Alumna: one female alum
Alumni: more than one male or male and female alums
Alumnae: more than one female alum
Current Students
“Freshman/freshmen.” The University of Michigan recommends using “first-year student/first-year students” rather than “freshman/men.”
Sophomores, juniors and seniors may still be referred to by those labels.
“Undergraduate” and “graduate” may also still be used; however, “underclassman/men” “upperclassman/men” is problematic and should be avoided.
Also keep in mind that transfer and international students are an important part of our campus community, and as part of our efforts to be inclusive should be mentioned whenever possible and appropriate.

Links & Resources

The University of Michigan does not have one single, enterprise-wide style guide. As a decentralized institution, U-M has always allowed individual schools, colleges and units a great deal of leeway vis à vis editorial styles.

U-M Resources

External Resources